Brentford did what Real Madrid could not, and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal had plenty of work to do in a 1-1 draw Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.
That’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek lede given Arsenal’s much-changed team from a beautiful midweek UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg 3-0 triumph over the competition’s most-celebrated team, but the point feels valid.
Arsenal started Kieran Tierney at left back, Thomas Partey at right back, Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the midfield, and Leandro Trossard up top, leaving Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and others on the bench.
The Bees held Arsenal at bay for most of the game, and it was 0-0 at the hour mark when Thomas Partey put the Gunners ahead at home.